I took my 5 yearold cat, Lily, to the oncologist Monday morning to have them look at a lump between her shoulders that had recently developed after getting a shot of Depo Medrol (she got the shot on January 12th). The oncologist said the results were inconclusive so she sent the sample to Oregon State University - I'm so nervous.

I've been reading up on Depo Medrol and was wondering if anyone else has had this same experience with their cat developing a lump at the injection site? I was told its somewhat common, but with that said how long until the lump goes away? Or does it need to be removed? Is there anything I can do for my cat in the mean time? She doesnt seem to be in any pain and her behavior hasnt changed I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything I possibly can for her if the lump is cancerous.

Any injection that causes inflammation can lead to caner. In general, this is less likely with Depo Medrol - so this is good.

I would however talk to your vet about alternatives to Depo Medrol. With each injection of depo-medrol, cats run the risk of temporary or permanent diabetes. There are other risks as well.

There are many other safer options if the cat needs long term steroids. One a one time basis, depo medrol is fine but if it is given more than 2-3 times (in a life time), then other options should be considered.

For asthma, inhalant steroids work well and are fairly easy to administer. For IBD, etc, oral steroids like prednisolone in a chicken flavored liquid can easily and cheaply be given on top of the food.

In general injection lumps should get large after a few days and then slowly resolve over a couple of weeks. If after the initial presentation of the lump, the lump enlarges, becomes firm or warm - then a re-evaluation by your veterinarian should be done at once.

The pathologist said they did find adjuvant at the injection site. I wasn't really surprised considering she had just received her rabies vaccine at that location in November. The oncologist did a full biopsy last week Thursday of the mass which she said was about the size of a pea. I keep hoping that the mass is just a granuloma Is it possible that if this is cancer, but was caught early enough, and if enough surrounding area was surgically removed that my cat can live out her remaining years cancer free? Besides surgery what other treatments have had the best results?